The most prestigious Thames event of the year, that is. The ODCC Sailpast was held yesterday in glorious sunshine at Chateau Alexander. What we lacked in quantity, we more than made up for in quality with forumites Brayman, chris-d, uncle albert (its good to have another beard in the club!), myself and of course, Big By, all dressed up in our finery and generally putting the world to rights. Lurker Stripp was the official photographer. No doubt you are all insanely jealous but if you want to avoid disappointment next year, just join the ODCC. Any of the afore-named can supply details.

byron

17-09-07, 18:19

Another avid lurker was there in the guise of Mike Rowlet.

I thought you looked particularly splendid in the pink organza frock you wore. Chris D, Uncle Albert and Brayman looked remarkably like the Beverley Sisters.

Chris_d

17-09-07, 20:34

A fine weekend indeed, except for the headache on Sunday morning /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Oxford Down Cricket Club
Oklahoma Department of Consumer Credit
Open Door Community Church

please enlighten me

byron

17-09-07, 21:56

[ QUOTE ]
at the risk of appearing ignorant (!) ODCC?

googled it but have given up after

Oxford Down Cricket Club
Oklahoma Department of Consumer Credit
Open Door Community Church

please enlighten me

[/ QUOTE ]
Oxford Ditch Cruising Club, most members moor from say Henley to Abingdon (ish) though others are from further afield.
One of the oldest motor boat clubs on the Thames having been founded circa 1947 by Oxford Uni Dons who had moved from oars to power. In those days the nickname for the Thames was "the ditch".
The club doesn't take itself too seriously but does have good events, rallies etc.

Obviously taken from Chris D's boat.... anyone take a shot of his boat "winning spirit" if so whack it up, lurkers can mail it to me and I will do it. How about you Strippy? I lay odds you took one.

l'escargot

17-09-07, 22:16

Is that a dog "mooning" at you in the first picture? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

pheran

17-09-07, 22:17

Come on, Strippy. Come out into the daylight. You know you want to! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Brayman

18-09-07, 10:05

I didn't have time to take a picture of Winning Spirit as I was too busy keeping an eye on expat1 (Mike Rowlett) helming my boat.
I'm sure the official photographer has some though.

byron

18-09-07, 10:06

[ QUOTE ]
Is that a dog "mooning" at you in the first picture? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Two dogs, you cannot move the boat without their consent.

Sammo

18-09-07, 12:36

As the newest members of the club we were looking forward to meeting everyone and we were certainly made very welcome ….. swmbo was a little worried that she might be asked to cook and tried to get out of it by saying she had got bad dermatitis…but no one seemed to mind…anyway she was only asked to place the salad on the plates, and she did it beautifully….nice to see all the money she spent on flower arranging classes wasn’t wasted.
We were asked to bring two chairs so she brought sun loungers…nice and comfortable to eat our dinner but a bit hard to get up out of to go for seconds…..
The catering was brilliant…. cuckoo-van all made in a big pot and the ladies did a great job catering for 40 odd people (if you count the dogs) …..At one point G. Ramsey arrived at the gate hoping to help with the catering but Byron told him to sod off as he wasn`t a member…..I thought it might turn nasty but after a ten minutes of walking up and down Ferry Road shouting profanities and waving his fish slice at us through the gate he eventually buggered off….
Sunday morning we did a sail past….I`m not sure why but at the briefing we were given our mission instructions and I spent an hour with swmbo giving instructions as to how to dip an ensign without loosing it overboard……I was last in line so It was quite easy …I only fell behind the once when I tried to persuade a passing narrowboat to join the line…..I thought it would be nice to have all types of cruising boats represented …..anyway he couldn`t as it turned out he didn`t have an ensign to dip ..which was a pity…..
A great weekend we stayed an extra day and left on Monday…We loved it …a great club with no pretensions and all with a common interest. boats….
Special thanks to Byron and Eileen who unselfishly allowed the club use of the river frontage….. which after all is their front garden…..

…

Ramage

18-09-07, 12:46

I hope Brayman finished editing "Cruiser News" before he went off enjoying himself /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

jaws

18-09-07, 12:57

Sounds like we have a volunteer for editor /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

apollo

18-09-07, 13:18

Will I get my invite to the Bertholders party in it??

jaws

18-09-07, 13:31

Would you like it gold plater, framed, or just tattooed on the back of a scantily clad lady? /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

byron

18-09-07, 13:33

[ QUOTE ]
Will I get my invite to the Bertholders party in it??

[/ QUOTE ]

Strewth! That really needled you dinnit. You have an open invite from me to attend any ODCC do. In fact I'm sure we will welcome any prospective members especially after the AGM when the chief pissartiste of the Thames is elected Commodore next year, he loves people that haven't heard his raants &amp; raves before /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

apollo

18-09-07, 13:39

TeeHeee, that got a reaction!!

As it happens I was away on the boat that weekend anyway, but never let that get in the way of a good rant!!

I am just following in the teaching of my mentor B1, he says if I was a bit older I would be welcomed into the "Old Boy Network" but to keep up the good work until then.

DogsBody

18-09-07, 13:44

You had an invite to the BCC BBQ at Cookham two weeks ago and didn't turn up so does it matter if you get an invite or not?

EDIT:- PS You are hereby officially invited to the BCC social at Bray Marina on the 29th.

jaws

18-09-07, 13:48

Every club has their whinging geriatric. Mike is just filling in until we find one! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

apollo

18-09-07, 13:50

hee hee and another one!!!

Not much work going on this afternoon.

No, only the vampires go to the late BBQ on the upper island due to lack of daylight, when they emerge out from under the trees the next day on the way home, they turn into sculls..

(Just checking whether someone here has spiked my tea!)

byron

18-09-07, 13:50

[ QUOTE ]
Every club has their whinging geriatric. Mike is just filling in until we find one! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[/ QUOTE ] /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

apollo

18-09-07, 13:51

Well we dont have any shortage of Geriatrics now do we!!! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

I thought the reason I was the only one that whinged was because the rest had popped their clogs and nobody had noticed. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

DogsBody

18-09-07, 13:56

You just don't fancy the hard labor of having to go forraging for wood for the camp fire.

apollo

18-09-07, 13:59

I am amazed there is any wood left there after all these years and all those club bbqs!

I trust that our Commode arrived half an hour after the work was done and then left before it was all unpacked again the next day!

I love the old traditions!!

jaws

18-09-07, 14:05

Yes it's a quiet day in the office. Shame you missed the BBQ as it was one of the best i've been to. We are thinking of having the spring one there too. We might need to invest in a chain saw, however as I nearly broke my back chopping all that wood for the camp fire!

DogsBody

18-09-07, 14:06

You shouldn't say such things about our Commodore you know - you may get blackballed...

Lets just say that she wasn't first there and left before some of us aswell.

jaws

18-09-07, 14:10

To be fair everyone left before us as we ended up having a lunchtime BBQ on the Sunday in the glorious sunshine.

apollo

18-09-07, 14:15

Blackballed - Doesnt that mean you are on anchor?

"Lets just say that she wasn't first there and left before some of us aswell." There you are....toldya!!

I am probably the only one that goes to less events than shh you know who!

Now where did I put my prozac...

DogsBody

18-09-07, 15:40

Ahh yes and being the early risers that we are on Unwinder, the "packing away" was well under way before we got out of bed!

Was a good BBQ on the Sunday once we threw away that disposable jobbie and got the gas wok out...

We seem to have hijacked Pheran's thread a bit though don't you think? Sorry Pheran

Darren.

PS From what I've heard, I thought the ODCC sailpast consisted of a convoy of cars driving to the nearest eating / drinking establishment. (Only kidding.)